In order to produce matrix displays in an economical way, usually the displays are made on a substrate or mother plate. In conventional displays, such as, for example, LCD (Liquid Crystal Displays), the pixels, the connecting electrodes, the impedance elements and transistors (if the display is an active matrix display) are present between two substrates. Usually these substrates are glued together at their borders. If glass substrates are used, one glass substrate may be larger than the other one to provide for space for a contact latch. The contact latch takes care of the mechanical conductive connection of input signals to the display. For example, a contact foil comprising conductive strips may be used to make mechanical and conductive contact with conductive strips of the contact latch. Usually, conductive glue is used on the ends of the conductive strips to thermally glue each one of the strips of the contact foil to associated ones of the strips of the contact latch. If plastic substrates are used, usually, the displays are separated by cutting, and both substrates of the display have the same size and the contact latch can not be provided at the edge of the largest substrate. JP-A-2000-275597 discloses that it is possible to make perforations in one of the substrates to be able to make the mechanical conductive contacts. This complicates the production process and is only feasible for connections with a large pitch.
Materials used for the substrates may have a thermal expansion which is significantly different from materials used in the matrix circuit or backplane and/or the contact foil. Therefore, it is difficult to make a reliable connection between the contact foil and the substrate or directly to the matrix circuit or back plane with conductive glue. The glue is liable to mechanical stress due to varying temperature and humidity. Consequently, the conducting particles in the glue may loose contact between the surfaces to be conductively connected and failing connections will occur. This is especially an obstacle in making large matrix displays based on plastic substrates. The reliability issue becomes even more important in the recently developed flexible displays which are constantly curvable.